Introversion never looks so good!

Black Culture and the Issue of Rape (To be continued)

I have been researching distros and proper zine templates for the last few days. The image is the completed layout. I can’t wait to get this out there. The idea for this issue came from a rendition of The Vagina Monologues. Given that the month of February is also black history month, I smooshed in some stuff about my own experience with the month of love. I wanted to bring awareness to the lack of awareness about rape culture in the Black community.

One thing that I found incredibly interesting is that for the most part, in America, manipulation of the female specimen is not considered rape. I don’t mean force by the way. What I am referring to the idea of a man having sex with multiple women and using blatant lies, the manipulation of a woman’s weaknesses or bullying to get her to bed. We hear it in popular music, we see it reiterated in television shows and for some of us, it is prevalent on our college campuses and/or our communities. What I find even more chilling is that for many women, they go on with their lives without pressing charges or even telling their stories.

In the Black community rape is looked down upon in black and white terms but the cultural awareness of such issues seems to mirror that of the larger society. We view it as our peers view it. But…rape is still rape and you cannot get around that. Last Month’s issue is my take on rape culture and it’s prevalence, with some black history thrown in and a little smidgen about healthy relationships. It will be ready for publication by the end of next week. I am so excited!

Do you think emotional manipulation and trickery could/should be considered rape?